Principal's Message

Greetings Parents and Guardians!

I would like to welcome you to another wonderful school year at Cole Elementary. It has been an honor to be a part of the Cole family as an educator, parent and now principal. For those of you I have yet to meet, let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Keishia Handy. I began my journey at Cole in 2003 as a Kindergarten teacher, First Grade Teacher, Reading Support Teacher and English Language Development Teacher. My daughter, who is in high school now, attended Cole in the 3rd and 4th grade. I left Cole in 2009 to become a District Support Teacher in the English Learners Department providing professional development to over 50 elementary and middle schools in our district. I later obtained a position as an Academic Coach supporting teachers at Monterey Elementary and part-time faculty at California State University of San Bernardino as a TESOL instructor. In 2015, I helped to open Paakuma K-8 school as their Vice Principal and now I’m back home at Cole!

As the demands and complexities of teaching increases, it becomes more evident that we need you just as much as you need us to to ensure the success of our students. I believe it takes a village to ensure that our students reach their full potential. That village is comprised of parents, community members, staff and students, all involved in making decisions that will have the best impact on our students’ social, academic and emotional well-being.

With that in mind, you are invited to be an active participant at Cole Elementary. Join one of our parent committees, volunteer in the classroom, attend our social events, become a PTO member, or just stop by to meet the amazing and dedicated staff. Student success is greatly predicated on the active role parents take in their child’s education.

One way you can support our efforts is to reinforce the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) strategies at home. Cole is one of many AVID schools in our district and we need your support to meet our goals. At the core of AVID is the, “belief that all students can successfully achieve when they are held to high expectations and properly supported.” To empower you with tools to support your child at home, we will be offering AVID and computer workshops after school. Your child’s teacher will communicate to both you and your child the AVID expectations. Students will be held accountable for returning their binders or folders every day with a parent signature on the agenda or calendar. It is imperative that you do your part!!!

Thank you in advance for supporting your child's success at school. Let's all commit to making a greater effort towards communicating with one another. If I can ever be of assistance, please email or call me.